The single award given by the American Society of Cinematographers each year may not be for the best film of the year, but they're pretty good at choosing the most beautiful. This year's five nominees have been announced in Variety, and while they may not stand up to the stunning work that turned up last year, they're all pretty pictures worth getting excited about.

Roger Deakins is once again a double nominee, getting a solo nod for Revolutionary Road and sharing a nomination with Chris Menges for The Reader. (Last year Deakins was up for both No Country for Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, but lost to There Will Be Blood's Robert Elswit). The rest of this year's nominees were The Dark Knight's Wally Pfister, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button's Claudio Miranda, and Slumdog Millionaire's Anthony Dod Mantle.

No offense to the Batman fans out there, but Dod Mantle seems to be the clear front-runner for when the award is announced on February 15. So much of Slumdog Millionaire's propulsive energy comes from the cinematography, both in the dynamic camera movement and the lush, vibrant colors that pack every scene. Dod Mantle is a newcomer to both these awards and the Oscars, but I'd put money on seeing him on both stages next month.